Graffiti and and dreams of teaching art then fate struck this talented tattooist.

Sasha was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, and has always loved to paint. It all began when he started drawing graffiti as a child. It was something that all the ‘cool’ kids were doing back then, and it felt natural for him to be part of that culture. Once he left school, he went on to Konstfack, Sweden’s largest university college of arts, crafts and design. He studied there for over four years, with the goal of becoming an art teacher. But fate got in the way.

In his last two last years at Konstfack, he accidentally stumbled upon the tattoo industry. Using his artistic talents, he was asked to paint graffiti on the walls of a tattoo studio. The studio’s artists loved his work so much that they tried to persuade him to start tattooing, but initially Sasha refused. Tattooing wasn’t part of his plan.

Eventually, a friend bought Sasha a tattoo machine so that he could start tattooing his friends. After he posted a status on Facebook saying ”Haha, just got a tattoo machine!”, he immediately received a text from the studio who were so impressed by his graffiti work, hoping that he would rethink their offer and accept a job at their studio. This is where his career began.

“I love to do blackwork. It’s classy with an uncluttered expression. I really like the aesthetics behind it,” Sasha says. He discovered his own style about two years ago. He says he is inspired by war imagery, combined with flowers, metal, machines, and tubes. He continues, “I want my designs to be rough but also contain an element of light or humour.

“The best customer is the one who dares to take a little risk, and trust my kind of art. But at the end of the day, it’s their body. I can’t completely decide how I think they should look, but I can guide them.”